Identification of fullerene-like CdSe nanoparticles from optical spectroscopy calculations

Semiconducting nanoparticles are the building blocks of optical nanodevices as their electronic states, and therefore light absorption and emission, can be controlled by modifying their size and shape. CdSe is perhaps the most studied of these nanoparticles, due to the efficiency of its synthesis, the high quality of the resulting samples, and the fact that the optical gap is in the visible range. In this article, we study light absorption of CdSe nanostructures with sizes up to 1.5 nm within density functional theory. We study both bulk fragments with wurtzite symmetry and novel fullerene-like core-cage structures. The comparison with recent experimental optical spectra allows us to confirm the synthesis of these fullerene-like CdSe clusters

Clustering and Correlations at the Neutron Dripline

Some recent experimental studies of clustering and correlations within very neutron-rich light nuclei are reviewed. In particular, the development of the novel probes of neutron-neutron interferometry and Dalitz-plot analyses is presented through the example of the dissociation of the two-neutron halo system $^{14}$Be. The utility of high-energy proton radiative capture is illustrated using a study of the $^{6}$He(p,$\gamma$) reaction. A new approach to the production and detection of bound neutron clusters is also described, and the observation of events with the characteristics expected for tetraneutrons ($^{4}$n) liberated in the breakup of $^{14}$Be is discussed. The prospects for future work, including systems beyond the neutron dripline, are briefly outlined.Comment: Invited contribution to a topical issue on Exotic Nuclei of Les Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences Paris, Serie IV. 29 pages,11 figures (format RevTex preprint

Generalized Born-Infeld-like models for kinks and branes

In this work we deal with a non-canonical scalar field in the two-dimensional spacetime. We search for a generalized model that is twin of the standard model, supporting the same defect structure with the same energy density. We also study the stability of the defect solution under small fluctuations, which is governed by a Sturm-Liouville equation, and show how to make it stable. The model is then modified and used in the five-dimensional spacetime to construct a thick brane that engenders the first order framework and preserves the twinlike behavior, under tensorial fluctuations of the metric in its gravitational sector.Comment: 6 pages; v3, to appear in EP

Exact solutions, energy and charge of stable Q-balls

In this work we deal with nontopological solutions of the Q-ball type in two spacetime dimensions. We study models of current interest, described by a Higgs-like and other, similar potentials which unveil the presence of exact solutions. We use the analytic results to investigate how to control the energy and charge to make the Q-balls stable.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figures; v2, title changed, reference adde

Generalized scalar field models with the same energy density and linear stability

We study how the properties of a Lagrangian density for a single real scalar field in flat spacetime change with inclusion of an overall factor depending only on the field. The focus of the paper is to obtain analytical results. So, we show that even though it is possible to perform a field redefinition to get an equivalent canonical model, it is not always feasible to write the canonical model in terms of elementary functions. Also, we investigate the behavior of the energy density and the linear stability of the solutions. Finally, we show that one can find a class of models that present the same energy density and the same stability potential.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Cuscuton kinks and branes

In this paper, we study a peculiar model for the scalar field. We add the cuscuton term in a standard model and investigate how this inclusion modifies the usual behavior of kinks. We find the first order equations and calculate the energy density and the total energy of the system. Also, we investigate the linear stability of the model, which is governed by a Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue equation that can be transformed in an equation of the Shcr\"odinger type. The model is also investigated in the braneworld scenario, where a first order formalism is also obtained and the linear stability is investigated.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures; content added; to appear in NP